State Champ Radio Concerts
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“You said you feel the love, right?” Kendrick Lamar asked SZA after performing their twinkling 2018 hit collab “All the Stars” during the first LA tour stop of their Grand National Tour at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium Wednesday night (May 21). “I think so,” she responded breathlessly. “You feel it?” “I definitely feel it.” The two […]
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police are reporting two deaths that happened amid EDC Las Vegas 2025, the dance music mega-festival that happened at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this past weekend, May 16-18. A statement provided to Billboard by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) says that “after discussions with the coroner’s office, LVMPD will be […]
Duki’s Ameri World Tour, presented by Live Nation, arrived to Miami on Saturday (May 17) — packed with energy, Argentinean pride, and rock star attitude.
The crowd — mostly made up of children and teens with their parents or young adults in their early 20s — filled the Kaseya Center and chanted “Duko Duko Duko” just minutes before 9 p.m. Shortly after, a three-member band (drums, keyboardist and guitarist) hopped on the red-lit stage and Duki followed singing “Leitmotiv.”
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He continued to perform almost all of the tracks from his latest studio album, Ameri, in order: “Nueva Era,” “Brindis,” “Buscarte Lejos,” “Imperio,” “Hardaway” and “Cine,” to name a few.
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“Thank you for sharing this night with me, Miami. I am Duki!” the Argentine trap star (real name: Mauro Ezequiel Lombardo Quiroga) told his euphoric fans.
Wearing a black muscle tee, baggy jeans, black beanie hat and white Adidas sneakers, Duki — who’s known as one of the pioneers of the Argentine trap movement — did not hold back from channeling his inner rock star.
“Vida de Rock,” “Rockstar,” and “Hablamos Mañana,” his collaboration with Bad Bunny, were some of the songs that fused rock with rap, and had the intense crowd jumping and chanting. He also performed the hits including “Si Te Sentis Sola,” “Goteo,” and his “BZRP Music Sessions #50.”
A notable moment of the night was when he took fans down memory lane and performed his 2017 breakthrough hit “Loca.” The song’s remix with Bunny and Cazzu earned Duki his first entry on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs that same year.
But the evening’s big highlight was when Puerto Rican urban artist Jhayco surprised fans by performing his collaboration with Duki, “Rockstar 2.0.”
“Thank you, my beautiful people! Thank you for bringing me far away from home to an emblematic venue,” Duki thanked his fans. “All of this tour is thanks to you and for you. I thank you with all my soul. Without you, this wouldn’t make sense.”
At 10:30 p.m., Duki closed his set with the ultimate fan-favorite track “Givenchy.”
Last December, he became the first urban artist ever to sell out Argentina’s biggest stadium — the fabled River Stadium in Buenos Aires — not once, but twice, selling 140,000 tickets across both nights. Earlier this year, he became the first urban artist to ever play and sell out Spain’s Bernabéu stadium in Madrid.
The Ameri World Tour wraps Sunday (May 18) in Puerto Rico, following his visits across Latin America and Europe that kicked off in March.
The show must go on, even when your earring accidentally gets completely tangled in Beyoncé‘s hair. The superstar’s 13-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, found herself in this exact situation on the Cowboy Carter Tour stage earlier this week. Blue and little sister Rumi, 7, have been joining Bey on stage in concert, during the singer’s performance […]
Fans were in luck at Dua Lipa’s show in Lyon, France, on Friday (May 16). During the second of two nights at the city’s LDLC Arena, the 29-year-old pop star delivered a fiery cover of Daft Punk’s 2013 hit “Get Lucky.” Wearing a lacy red bodysuit, Lipa brought energy and flair to the funky track, […]
Pitbull surprised Shakira‘s fans on Friday (May 16) by opening the Colombian superstar’s concert at MetLife Stadium with a rocker set of his own that included songs such as “Hotel Room Service,” Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” and guitar riffs of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.” The Cuban-American star was announced as a special guest, but […]
It all began with a song. In 2022, Goldenvoice/AEG executive vp Stacy Vee and Morgan Wallen’s booking agent, The Neal Agency’s Austin Neal, were planning the country superstar’s 2024 Stagecoach headlining gig. Wallen’s “Sand in My Boots” had recently become his fifth No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.
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“I couldn’t get the song out of my head, and it inspired the concept,” Vee says, via email. “I brought up the idea of partnering on a [festival] and giving Morgan the keys on curation on a gorgeous beach and calling it Sand in My Boots. It turned out, they had been discussing the exact same idea at the exact same time.”
“Morgan has a wide range of musical tastes and influences, and we felt that would be cool to showcase on a big stage,” Neal says via email. “Plus, it felt like a legacy play and good opportunity to bring artists he likes and listens to all together at one time to play a show.”
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This weekend, that idea becomes a reality as the first Sand in My Boots festival takes place May 16-18 on the beaches of Gulf Shores, Ala., where the Hangout Festival was formerly held.
Headliners Wallen, Post Malone and Brooks & Dunn will be joined by an extremely varied lineup — many of them among Wallen’s personal favorites — that includes fellow country artists Ella Langley, Hardy, Ernest, Treaty Oak Revival, Riley Green and Bailey Zimmerman, as well as rappers Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz, BigXThaPlug and Moneybagg Yo and indie rockers The War on Drugs and Real Estate.
“When the idea of Sand in My Boots started becoming a reality, it was extremely important to me to build a festival of artists that I enjoy and listen to regularly,” Wallen says in an email interview. “Having a blend of different genres was exciting and I hope fans feel the same way.”
“It felt like something was missing in the space of a country-led multi-genre music festival,” Neal says. “Ours brings other genres to the format vs. the other way around and allows us to be a more eclectic, version curated around Morgan’s influences and tastes.”
There are few festivals as musically eclectic as SIMB that feature acts of from so many different genres. “We didn’t come up with this idea trying to fill a gap, but I believe that is what we have done,” Wallen says. “We created a festival that was centered around my country culture and that just so happens to include a variety of sounds. Sand in My Boots really was born out of building something that I was proud of, and also having a festival that these artists enjoy coming to.”
Wallen and Neal, who also began managing Wallen last summer, say their biggest challenge was wondering if people would buy into the multi-genre concept. “Will fans be receptive to it? Will the artists enjoy it? How do we put forth a weekend the fans will remember and want to come back to?” Wallen says.
They needn’t have worried. The festival’s 40,000 tickets sold out in under two hours, Vee says. But Neal admits there were a few lingering thoughts as to how it would sell. “The night before we went on sale Morgan and I laughed, ‘They’ll either love it or hate having that many styles of music with a festival built around that,’” he says. “It happened so quick, and that tells us there are more people out there that listen to all styles of music.”
“I think it’s just a testament to all the teams involved that helped build and deliver a bill that fans were excited to check out,” Wallen adds. “I wasn’t worried, more so curious how they would respond, and I am extremely grateful they responded the way they did by selling it out that fast.”
There is now a waiting list for all tiers of tickets ranging from general admission ($599 +$77.87 fees) up to Livin’ the Dream. ($7,999 +1,039.87 fees). As Wallen has done for the last few years with his concerts, $3 from every ticket goes to the Morgan Wallen Foundation, which supports sports and music programs for youths.
Wallen and Neal worked hand-in-hand with AEG on all facets of the festival. “We advise(d) on everything from production to curation and design graphically. Ticketing to influences, and merchandise and sponsorship are all done in partnership with AEG,” Neal says.
“Morgan was so collaborative,” Vee says. “He gave such great ideas, so hands on with activations, sponsors, the look and feel of it, the creative. He had his hand in everything. He’s a great promoter. He has such wonderful ideas. He never left us waiting, always quick with the feedback, through his manager.”
Of course, the one thing none of them can control is the weather. Luckily, as of publishing it looks like clear skies for the three days. When asked how often he’s consulting the weather, Neal says, “Every minute.”
The opening day of the festival coincides with the release of Wallen’s new album, I’m the Problem, but it wasn’t necessarily planned that way. “I would love to say it was, but it wasn’t originally,” Neal says. “The timeframe just worked out to fit the weekend and we felt it would be a cool tie to have uniquely Morgan experiences around the release of his fourth studio album.”
Wallen says he will highlight a few new songs in his set. Given all the demands on Wallen’s time with the festival and release, though, Neal says it’s unlikely Wallen will be popping up on stage to join other artists.
Even though this year’s event sold out immediately, Neal says there are no plans to expand to two weekends should there be future festivals. “We’re happy with where it is,” he says. “An exclusive event that exists in one weekend, where everything is highly curated.”
The only disappointment so far has been rock hitmakers 3 Doors Down having to drop out due to leader Brad Arnold’s cancer diagnosis. “It’s an incredibly sad thing, and I hate that Brad is going through that,” Wallen says. “I’m just praying that Jesus is with him and his family during this time and gives the strength to get through it.”
Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor has announced the lineup for his first-ever Future Ruins Festival, a one-day event on Nov. 8 at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center that will feature an impressive lineup of film and TV score composers.
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According to a release, the event that will have some of the “world’s most influential film and television composers step[ping] out from behind the screen and onto the stage” will take place on three stages and feature performances from Danny Elfman (Batman, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure), John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing), Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein (Stranger Things, Spheres), Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh (The Royal Tennenbaums, Cocaine Bear) and the Roots’ Questlove, who will perform the score compositions of late soul icon Curtis Mayfield.
Future Ruins “is designed to feel thoughtful and immersive, bringing this music to light in an environment where it has never been heard before,” according to the release. “Every artist is a headliner, each with their own specially curated moment. Each artist is encouraged to take big swings and reimagine their work for a live audience. Ranging from electronic sets and live bands to orchestral performances, fans have the chance to experience live debuts from composers who rarely appear onstage.”
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It’s a fitting side quest for Reznor, who has created an award-winning side hustle as a film composer along wit his NIN bandmate Atticus Ross (The Social Network, Challengers), who co-created and co-curated the lineup with Reznor. “It’s about giving people who are, literally, the best in the world at taking audiences on an emotional ride via music the opportunity to tell new stories in an interesting live setting,” said Reznor in a press release about the one-time gathering.
“There’s no headliner. There’s no hierarchy. This is a stacked lineup of visionaries doing something you might not see again,” Reznor and Ross added.
Among the other acts on the bill are: Cristobal Tapia de Veer (Babygirl, The White Lotus), Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow (Ex Machina, Black Mirror), Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin (Suspiria, Dawn of the Dead), Hildur Guðnadóttir (Joker, Women Talking), a performance of Howard Shore’s score for David Cronenberg’s Crash, Isobel Waller-Bridge (Fleabag, Sweetpea), Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe (Candyman, Seeds), Tamar-Kali (Mudbound, Shirley), Terence Blanchard (Malcolm X, Inside Man) and Volker Bertelman (aka Hauschka) (All Quiet on the Western Front, Conclave).
Reznor and Ross will also perform selections from their expansive catalog of TV and movie compositions, including Watchmen, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Empire of Light, Waves, Mank, The Killer and more. Tickets for the festival will go on sale on May 21 at 12 p.m. PT.; click here for ticketing information.
In the meantime, NIN will be on the road for their 2025 Peel It Back arena tour, which is slated to launch on kick off on June 15 in Dublin and hit Manchester, London, Germany, Belgium, Milan and 10 more European cities before hopping over to North America for shows in Oakland (August 6), as well as Vancouver, Denver, Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore, Boston, New York, Nashville and Phonenix before winding down on Sept. 19 in Los Angeles.
Check out the Future Ruins lineup poster below.
Willie Nelson’s Farm Aid, the longest running concert for a cause, will mark the 40th anniversary of its advocacy for family farmers with an all-star festival on Sept. 20 at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
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Nelson will be joined on the bill by fellow Farm Aid board members Neil Young (with his band the Chrome Hearts), John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews (with Tim Reynolds) and Margo Price, with the full-day lineup also set to include: Billy Strings, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Trampled by Turtles, Waxahatchee, Eric Burton of Black Pumas, Jesse Welles and Madeline Edwards, with more artists to be announced.
Since Nelson introduced the first Farm Aid concert in Champaign, Ill., on Sept. 22, 1985, the nonprofit behind the festival has raised nearly $80 million to promote a strong and resilient family farm system of agriculture, while also building connections in the battles against climate change and social injustice.
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“Family farmers are the heart of this country, and we depend on each other for good food and strong communities,” says Nelson, in announcing this year’s event. “For 40 years, Farm Aid and our partners have stood with farmers, supporting them to stay on their land even when corporate power, bad policies and broken promises make it harder to keep going.
“This year, we’re proud to bring Farm Aid to Minnesota to celebrate the farmers who sustain us and to fight for a food system that works for all of us. Family farmers aren’t backing down, and neither are we.”
Not since the farm foreclosure crisis of the 1980s, which prompted Nelson to launch Farm Aid, have family farmers faced the challenges that confront them today, from the devastation of storms driven by climate change to government actions that play havoc with their finances.
Last month, on the Farm Aid website, Nelson and veteran agricultural activist David Senter wrote an open letter directed at America’s young farmers, addressing this moment.
“The commitment you’re making to your families, your communities and our water, soil and climate is not an easy one—and it never has been,” they wrote. “We want you to know that, even with the wave of uncertainty farmers are facing right now, the work you’re doing has never been more critical for our country.
“All farmers — no matter their age, background, politics, location, size, type or production methods — must call on each other in these challenging times,” they wrote. “We invite you to call on us, and hope that you will answer when we call on you. We’re in this together and it’s only together that we will get through.”
The music at Farm Aid gives power to its message and mission.
Throughout its history, including during the first term of President Trump, the festival has been perhaps the one place in America today to unite blue and red, urban and rural, for a common cause: supporting the men and women who grow the nation’s food.
Farm Aid notes the significance of the festival making its first appearance in Minnesota, a state which, since the 1980s, “has offered a groundswell of strength in the farm movement, championing rural advocacy, sustainable and equitable agriculture and forward-thinking policy reform,” the organization says in a statement.
This year’s Farm Aid will once again include its trademarked HOMEGROWN Concessions, with a menu featuring “ingredients that are grown or raised by farmers who use ecological practices and are paid a fair price,” the organization states. The HOMEGROWN Village will feature exhibits about soil, water, energy, food and farming.
Farm Aid co-executive director Jennifer Fahy says this year’s festivities are not only about looking back, but also about building for the future.
“We’re grateful to our dedicated board members and hundreds of generous artists who have brought us together year after year to celebrate family farmers and highlight the challenges they face every day,” says Fahy.
“Our anniversary marks a critical time for the nation to come together in support of the family farmers we all depend on. Our work isn’t done. There are significant threats to the future of family farm agriculture and our food system. Farm Aid 40 is an opportunity to call those out and work for the food system that farmers, eaters and our planet all deserve.”
Farm Aid co-executive director Shorlette Ammons adds: “There is no farm movement without the people. Rural communities represent the heartbeat of this country. Farmers and rural and immigrant labor sustain our food system, care for the land, and strengthen our foodways and cultural connections. When we invest in rural communities, we uplift the well-being of our entire country, celebrating the vibrant and needful contributions of all.”
To celebrate 30 years of steering the Korean entertainment sphere, SM Entertainment hit Los Angeles with its star-studded SMTOWN Live 2025 concert. Boasting 68 individual artists, representing 13 different groups, all on one sprawling stage at the Dignity Health Sports Park, the showcase brought out a range of K-pop talent that showcases SM’s expansive impact […]
